Nakseongdae

Nakseongdae (Korean pronunciation: [naks͈ʌŋdɛ]; Korean: 낙성대; Hanja: 落星垈) is a park located in Gwanak, Seoul. It is the birthplace of Goryeo general, Kang Kam-ch'an.^[1]

Nakseongdae
Location	Gwanak District, Seoul, South Korea
Coordinates	37.471223°N 126.959983°E / 37.471223; 126.959983
Public transit access	Nakseongdae Station

Toponymy

Nakseongdae means "where a star landed" in Hanja. This alludes to a legend surrounding general Kang Kam-ch'an; it is said that when he was born, a star fell to the earth and landed at the location of the park.^[1]

Description

In 1972, the park was designated as a Tangible Cultural Heritage of Seoul.^[1] From 1973 to 1974, the shrine Anguksa (안국사; 安國祠) was constructed in the park. This shrine is dedicated to General Kang. Stone wall of 409 meter circumference was built to surround it.^[1]

Near the park is Nakseongdae Station of Seoul Subway Line 2.^[2]

The park is located close to Seoul National University (SNU), which is often considered the top university in South Korea.^[3] The term Nakseongdae resembles the name of a university, owing particularly to the term dae (대; 大). Due to its proximity to SNU, it has become used as a euphemism or nickname for the university. The term is sometimes used to avoid the appearance of bragging about attending South Korea's top university.^[3]